How to know information about my car

Question

recently I bought a second-hand car (Proton Gen2) which doesn't have any manual with it, I asked the owner and he doesn't have any clue about car manual. All I know are these:

• Make: Proton
• Model: Gen2
• year: 2004
• 1.2L

and a few days back the engine light is on, which make me worried.

so I want to know how can I know about my car? I don't have manual, I try to decoder my car VIN number, but it doesn't give much information.

I dunno what type of brand of Engine Oil I should use or break oil and I check it with a repair shop, that guy didn't give any information too, he just changed the oil and yet the engine light is still on.

I don't really know much about cars in general, and I recently started to read about how to maintain a car.

Update:
Thanks for the answers,
I checked justgivemethedamnmanual.com they don't seems like they have information about Proton Gen2, maybe it's because Proton Gen2 is a local car.

also, I've checked the whole entire car for OBDII socket, and I couldn't find anything.

The owner told me that the car is 1.2L but I can't find any information about the engine, I decode the car VIN number (PL1CM3LNR4G000490) with vindecoder.eu, it gave me this information:

• Manufacturer: Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Berhad
• Manufacturer Address: Hicom Industrial Estate, Batu 3 Po Box 7100, 40918 Shah Alam
• Make: Proton
• Drive: Front-wheel drive
• Rear Suspension: Helical spring
• ABS: 1
• Check Digit: R
• Model Year: 2004
• Plant Country: Malaysia
• Sequential Number: 000490

I check their website proton-edar.com.my they don't have any information about it anymore, most of the link Error 404 Page Not Found like this one:

http://www.proton-edar.com.my/en/Models/Gen-2/Model Pricing and Specification Page.aspx

as well as MyProton (android app) is pretty much only show other models and Proton Gen2 is unmatched, I called them they ask me to go to service center but nothing about owner manual.

I send email to the company, still waiting for their reply.

The reason I need the Owner Manual is that I don't really know what I should put in my car or how do I need to maintain it.

• I have no idea what type of Fuel I need to put in my car, in Malaysia, there are 3 types (RON 97, RON 95 and DIESEL).
• I don't know what type of engine oil I need to use, most of YouTube videos talking about the brand that doesn't exist in here, or if even exist the car is different than mine and they suggest to refer to owner manual.(don't get me wrong they are good for general information)
• There is a walkie-talkie attached to my staring wheel, sometimes it goes on and sometimes it goes off! randomly.
• I don't have the Service Booklet so I don't know what has serviced and what needs to be served.
• The two-door behind is sometimes locking themselves and can't be open from both side and then sometimes work perfectly! I checked the doors there is child safety lock and I don't know with which button I can control it or is it just broken.

and there are more other small issues.

you can see why I'm looking for the Owner Manual, I don't want to spend lots of money change everything to see where the problem come from. at least with owner manual, I can see if there are things that I dunno about or should be fixed. and whatever link I find on the net about owner manual are pretty much not working or miss leading to something else.

Answer 1

Owners Manual

The owners manual generally lists weights and capacities. What Fuel, Oil, etc you should be using etc. It also generally lists your service intervals; When you should perform certain maintenance tasks. Owners Manuals, given the intention of the publication are often available online at the Manufacturers website, or distributed by other websites.

If your manufacturer doesn't have your Owners Manual available try JustGiveMeTheD*&%Manual.com

Factory/Manufacturers Workshop/Service Manual

These are manuals "written" by the manufacturer specifically regarding the Platform(s)/Model(s) relative to your vehicle. These generally require purchasing, but as other users have pointed out, they are available online through some searching.

Third-Party Service Manuals/Guides

• As others have mentioned, Haynes or Chilton guides can be great for learning basic-to-advanced repairs. Mitchell and AllData provide even more advanced guides at the professional-level.
• These guides can sometimes be found at your local library. Both in physical copy and sometimes Online/Digital Resources, as well.
• AutoZone.com offers Repair Information, if you register with their site (Free). Your Local Autoparts store may offer a similar service, as well.
• YouTube, and other Video Websites, are a great place to watch repairs in action. Granted one can pick up a lot of bad habits, so use your best judgement when watching different methods.
• Model-Specific Forums are great for detailed and hyper-specific questions.

OBDII Code Readers

On-Board Diagnostics, Or OBD, offers access to varying amounts of data about your vehicle. You can, depending on the model, view (in real-time) things like Throttle Position, Coolant Temperature, etc. Some OBDII Code Readers have basic functionality which only allow for reading and clearing codes, while others have more advanced functions.

If you already have an Android and/or iPhone, you can use a OBDII-to-Bluetooth/Wifi Adapter coupled with software on your phone to view some of the advanced data that was mentioned earlier.

Given that you have a Check Engine Light on you will want to either acquire a OBD Code Reader and/or visit your local Autoparts store, as many will offer free code scans. Be sure to carefully write down what code(s) are found, and get back to us with the results, so we have a better idea of what's going on with your vehicle.

---

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

I pick up This vehicle on my Autodata, but it does not show a 1.2 engine Though, only a 1.3 and 1.6, 2005-2011, What info are you looking for? or do you simple want an owners manual? in that case Haynes Manuals may be an option, but i doubt they would have anything much on this vehicle, next option would be to try and get a print from the agents.

Answer 3

You need to buy a workshop manual - sometimes also called a service and repair manual.

The most common sort are published by 'Haynes', although they don't appear to have one for the Gen2, but there are various other publishers - your favorite online retailer should be able to provide...